Swipe left. Swipe left. Swipe right. It’s a match!

This is the new way people are finding their significant other, or their next hook-up. Online dating through dating apps are great new tools people are using to find the connection they want from one another. Don’t believe the negative stigma behind dating apps though, they’re actually fun and useful.

There are numerous amounts of dating apps out there that cater to all crowds: From the famous Tinder that caters to everyone, to apps likes Grindr, where its main focus is gay guys. We can get even more specific though, coming to apps like Tindog, where it’s easier for dog owners to meet each other.

Like most tools, you first need to know what you are going to do with it before you use it. So, when you sign up for one or more of these dating tools, make sure you know what you want. Do you want a short-term relationship? Long-term relationship? Hook-ups?

The versatility of dating apps is where the fun of online dating begins. You can do anything from getting to know three people all at the same time to focusing all your attention on that one girl or guy that hooked you with their cute pickup line. Getting to know new people is fun, especially when finding differences and similarities in one another, and seeing where it goes from there.

Of course not everyone you talk to will become your next significant other. Quite the opposite, actually. Many of the people you chat with will just be a short conversation that usually ends with one party not responding anymore. But you move on, and start over again until you find the connection you want. Or until you finally getting laid, whichever one is your end goal.

Dating apps have garnered a lot of negative stigma over the years though. Some people think dating apps are just for hook-ups and others think online dating is a complete joke, that long lasting relationships only build from meeting someone in person.

The truth is, it’s what you do with these apps that builds the experience for you. Yes there will be a lot of rejections and failed relationships, but that’s life in general. In the end, does it really matter where you met someone?

According to USA Today, research done at Stanford University shows that 22 percent of couples have met online. The same research also showed that those who met online are two times more likely to marry than those who didn’t.

Online dating will never replace “offline” dating, dating apps are just another tool that people can use to connect with one another. And honestly, at this point who cares where you meet your significant other? What matters is that you love each other. Are you really going to judge a happy couple that met off of Tinder? Of course not. You congratulate them for being happy.

So if you are ever curious in signing up for one of the many dating apps, go for it. What do you have to lose? Who knows, you might meet you and your dog’s significant other on Tindog.